Can You stop MB trying to find Artist Pictures on the Web?

[fred]

I may be eccentric but I have absolutely no interest in seeing Artist Pictures or Album Covers. I have recently started using the Compact Player. If I select Artist Picture panel and strting playing a song, it goes off to the internet for a relatively appreciable amount of time before (usually) returning nothing. So I did the following:

1. Removed all artwork providers from Preferences->Tag(2)
2. In Artist Picture-->Customize Panel I unticked the relevant boxes

and yet it still churns on trying to retrieve a picture. As a last resort I disconnected from the internet - it still churned but for a much shorter period. Is there any way/setting I've missed that will stop this?

[phred]

In your first screenshot you still have 'auto-retrieve' enabled. Even though you removed the sources, MB may still be trying to look for artwork.

[fred]

Don't know how I missed that but if I uncheck them it still looks for Artist Picture ...

[hiccup]

I have recently started using the Compact Player. If I select Artist Picture panel and strting playing a song, it goes off to the internet for a relatively appreciable amount of time before (usually) returning nothing

You can configure the compact player not to display pictures.
So I am not sure I understand where (or why) you are selecting 'Artist Picture panel'?

[fred]

I've looked everywhere for a way to turn off showing artwork and I can't find it . The only possible is a checkbox in Preferences->Layout(2) under the wide radio button for mini-player which say show artwork -it's ticked but I have been unable to untick it. Any help would be much appreciated

As to where I selected Artist Picture it was here:

Why - because I'm devveloping a skin and I'm going through every screen to make sure my skinning works -- hence post about backgound highlight I posted earlier -- up to starting I had only ever used the Track view and the left panel - nothing else so it's been a voyage of discovery

[hiccup]

I've looked everywhere for a way to turn off showing artwork and I can't find it . The only possible is a checkbox in Preferences->Layout(2) under the wide radio button for mini-player which say show artwork -it's ticked but I have been unable to untick it. Any help would be much appreciated

A screenshot of your compact player might helpful here.
It should have it's own customize panel settings, and/or some header from where you can make such adjustments.

[fred]

It's already there - second image in my original post

[hiccup]

It's already there - second image in my original post

It didn't show yet when I first opened it.

So in the screenshot you have selected ' Artist Picture'. So obviously it will to try to display something there.
Go through the compact player settings and set it up not to display any pictures?

[fred]

Having set every option I could find to stop the attempt at downloading, yet even when there is no internet available it still churns for a brief time suggests, that as there is no global setting for online/offline operation, it always tries. I suppose Steven is the only one able to give a definitive answer

[hiccup]

Having set every option I could find to stop the attempt at downloading,

Just so to be clear:

You are using the compact player, and you have it configured not to show images or artwork.
And you are experiencing delays that indicate MusicBee is trying to find images on the web?

[fred]

To clarify I have set the options to not retrieve anything from the web, yet when in the Artist Picture panel I start to play a track on the left panel there is a rotating circle which indicates that it is busy doing something

[hiccup]

yet when in the Artist Picture panel I start to play a track on the left panel there is a rotating circle

Well, my suggestion was that if you don't want to see images and don't want MusicBee making an effort to display them, just configure your display settings not to display images.

Maybe I am a bit thick in still not understanding what is bothering you, so I'll respectfully retreat from this thread now.

[Steven]

Even when the artist picture/ retrieve pictures setting is unticked, MB will still retrieve one picture if you have none locally for the artist in question. I dont plan to change that